Vincent Haycock’s New Campaign for Instagram Portrays Friendships within Modern Youth Culture

New campaign from Instagram, in partnership with advertising agency, Johannes Leonardo, running from July 30th - October 8th in the US. 

This new campaign - 'Instagram Connections' - celebrates gen z and the real connections and friendships built on Instagram through small, everyday acts of creative expression. Taken from real gen z insights, and interviews with creators and real teens, the campaign gives an authentic look at this deeply nuanced generation and shows that real connection isn’t something that simply happens - it’s something you make. 

"The next generation is leading a shift in the way people use Instagram today - we want to celebrate that,” said Eshan Ponnadurai, vice president, brand marketing at Meta. “Instagram is a place to strengthen relationships with your close friends and build connections with new ones. From photo dumps, to reacting to stories, replying to notes, and sending memes in DMs — we’ve seen that all of these small acts of creativity can lead to big friendships. As the brand continues to evolve, we remain committed to providing a safe space for the next generation to express themselves and connect on Instagram.” 

Directed by Vincent Haycock, Instagram Connections is shot less like a commercial and more like a short film, to present an authentic portrait of today's youth culture. The music for these long form pieces ‘Small Fries’ and ‘Send Off’ is composed and produced by Dev Hynes AKA Blood Orange (@devhynes). Dev’s multidisciplinary approach brings a dynamic and layered sensibility to these cinematic shorts. 

The campaign was shot in Austin, Texas in real homes of gen z’ers, lending to unfiltered emotions, a sense of realism and genuine authenticity. 

Jeph Burton, group creative director at Johannes Leonardo commented, "The 'Instagram Connections' campaign captures the raw essence of modern youth, showcasing their connections in a way that feels genuine and unfiltered... our collaboration with Instagram allowed us to embrace their authentic voice and redefine how today’s generation connect with each other on the platform."

Beyond these long form videos, campaign elements are comprised of OTT/FEP/CTV (including Hulu), Programmatic Digital (Video & Banners), Social (TikTok), OOH (spectaculars at Penn Station and Sunset Boulevard), Audio/podcasts (host reads by influencers Emma Chamberlain & Tinx), and ONP (On Platform Ads).